Lifelong learning is crucial to business leaders

John Acton, Co-Founder and CEO of peer2peer, talks to Sarah Dale about why he became a Hertfordshire Chamber Patron, how he helps business owners supercharge their companies and why he is an advocate of ‘ta-dah lists’

“Love your flight” is the tagline of peer2peer and is one of the key principles of the company established in 2018.

“Whether you are an entrepreneur or work for someone else’s company, everyone should enjoy their careers,” says John Acton, Co-Founder and CEO of peer2peer, based in Hertfordshire.

“Using flight as a metaphor for your career, you need to choose the right destination, plot your course, decide who needs to be onboard, be mindful of getting blown off course, hitting turbulence etc. It’s very similar to a flight. You should aim to love it and ultimately have no regrets.

“What we have recognised is when you’re a business leader – whether you turn over less than £250,000 or £25 million – if you’re the top person in a company, it’s lonely. You can’t share the challenges with your colleagues and you also need time to work on your business.” peer2peer is a peer advisory group for business leaders and entrepreneurs. It meets for half a day every month in a confidential space for members to test ideas and share challenges and believes lifelong learning is critical. But where to focus? peer2peer developed its Capability Compass library housing more than 75 workbooks to help leaders evolve by growing their capabilities. Eight themes are covered including strategic thinking, innovation, growth, brand and culture, team and engagement, productivity, finance and governance.

“You should never stop learning as leaders; lifelong learning is important,” says John.

“We help our members grow their capability and help hold them to account in a constructive way.”

The company has 23 Boards, four in Hertfordshire, and over 200 leader members across the country. It has doubled in size year on year and the firm aims to have a Board no more than 40 minutes away for 95 per cent of the population. New boards are being launched in Scotland, Bristol and Bath and Cardiff.

A member can ask to be placed in the “Hotseat”. They have 10 minutes to articulate a challenge they’re facing. The other members have 10 minutes or so to ask questions. Then the Hotseat member leaves the room to the other members who, supported by the chair, put a plan together based on what they would do if they were running the business. The Hotseat member returns and receives the wisdom of their peers.

“Instead of having one business coach, you have the experience of 12,” adds John.

The business has the vision to reach 500 Boards across the UK by 2029. Then to go global.Despite John’s global ambitions, he remains committed to Hertfordshire, where he currently chairs two Boards of his own.

This is why he joined Hertfordshire Chamber as a Patron member in June.

“I’m invested in growing in Hertfordshire and growing my own Boards,” he says.

“Around 80 per cent of our Board members have a turnover between £1 million and £30 million and there are a lot of those kind of businesses in Hertfordshire. I met with Donna and Mary at the Chamber and I liked what they had to say.

“It’s great meeting the other Patrons. We’re all about putting something back into Hertfordshire.

“I’ve met some amazing people. Some have already come as guests to my Board and one has agreed to become a chair, so a great start.

“It’s a serious but fun and engaging Chamber. The culture is great and the central team is really supportive.

“Businesses who join the Chamber show they are serious about growing their business or trying to achieve a better work/life balance. That’s why people also join peer2peer.”

John is a morning person and starts work at 7am after walking his dog.

“I start my day with an “eat the frog” task, you know the one you’ve been putting off that takes you out of flow. I use the Pomodoro Technique, setting the timer for 50 minutes to blitz it, then take a 10-minute break. Then go again if need be, until I’ve eaten that frog.

“I also use ‘ta-dah lists’. Everyone has a never-ending to-do list but at the end of the day I write a ta-dah list. It’s about being kind to yourself and focusing on the things you have done, not the things you haven’t. This is my top tip, try it!”

John had a highly successful corporate career and lived and worked in Paris for six years before going self-employed 12 years ago to become “the master of my own destiny”.

“I really enjoyed my corporate career; I’ve never had a job I haven’t enjoyed but I had always wanted to run my own business,” he adds.

“I’m extremely proud of the peer2peer team and our growing community of chairs and members. I’m hugely excited about what difference we can make over the coming months and years.”

80 per cent of our Board members have a turnover between £1 million and £30 million and there are a lot of those kind of businesses in Hertfordshire. I met with Donna and Mary at the Chamber and I liked how it’s run and I like what they had to say.